NYC Marathon runners can get refund from Sandy-canceled race

Runners who were set to participate in the New York City Marathon volunteered in clean up efforts at Oakwood Beach. They can get refunds for fees paid before the marathon was canceled.Staten Island Advance/Bill Lyons

NEW YORK -- New York City Marathon runners
can receive a refund of their entry fee after this year's race was
canceled because of Hurricane Sandy.

When
the event was called off last month, officials said they had a no-refund
policy but had not made a final decision on whether to make an
exception.

Organizer New York Road Runners informed entrants Thursday
that they had three options to choose from -- one of them a refund.

Runners
can otherwise go for a guaranteed spot in the 2013, 2014 or 2015
marathon. They would have to pay the entry fee again, but at the 2012
rate. Getting into the race is extremely competitive, making a
guaranteed spot very valuable to runners.

Or they can accept a spot in March's NYC half-marathon, paying the entry fee for that race -- though availability is limited.

The
refund applies only to runners who had not withdrawn before Oct. 24,
when forecasts of a massive storm started to emerge. The refund excludes
an $11 processing fee. Entry costs ranged from $216 to $347.

By then, thousands of
out-of-town runners had already arrived in New York, with international
entrants often spending several thousand dollars on the trip.

They
vented that while they supported the ultimate decision, it should have
been made days earlier, before they boarded planes.

Organizers initially expected about 47,500 runners to compete.

"Our
commitment is to work hard over the coming year to serve our runners
and community and to return the ING New York City Marathon to being our
city's best day," NYRR President Mary Wittenberg said in a letter to
entrants Thursday.